Colton Herta – Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto – Photo by Joe Skibinski

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

Second-generation INDYCAR driver Colton Herta remained “wicked-quick” during qualifying Saturday for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto.

Herta claimed the NTT P1 Award for the second consecutive summer and third time in four years at Exhibition Place. Only Scotsman Dario Franchitti (five) and Sebastien Bourdais of France (four) have won more poles for the lone NTT IndyCar Series event staged north of the border.

“I think it’s kind of just what this team is capable of around here for the street-courses,” said Herta, driver of the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian. “(We) continue to be, I feel like, a dominant force in the league for that kind of style of racing.

“We have a great car here, it’s plain and simple as you see. I’d like to think (the team’s drivers are) better than everybody else, but the cars are really just that good. I think (the cars) make us look really good.”

Indeed, Herta recorded the only Firestone Fast-Six lap under 1-minute _ 59.8320-seconds/107.461 mph _ around the 1.786-mile/11-turn street circuit downtown.

SEE: Qualifying Results

Herta is poised to deliver another strong performance in today’s race, as the 25-year-old native Californian has finished second, third and first in the past three outings. The 90-lap/160.74-miler is set for noon (EDT), with broadcast coverage on FOX Sports, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Herta posted his second pole of the season Saturday, the other also having been scored on a street circuit _ last month’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear in Downtown Motown. Herta pushed his career pole total to 16, breaking a tie with Tony Kanaan of Brazil and Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia on the all-time list. Herta’s total ranks 21st in INDYCAR history, with Brazilian Formula One and INDYCAR icon Emerson Fittipaldi next on the list with 17.

Ninth in series points through 12 events, Herta will confidently chase his first victory of the season after winning two events last year, including Toronto from P1.

“Yeah, there’s no reason not to be (confident),” Herta said. “I think we were extremely competitive on blacks (Firestone Firehawk’s primary tire). I felt like if we put on blacks, I could have been close to my red (alternate) tire time. We’re fast on reds, but I feel we’re even more competitive on blacks.

“I think…depending how long you can run the softs for. That’s a big question mark. Is it going to be four laps? Is it going to be 20 laps? It’s really not sure yet. I think we have the ability to be fast on both. But I’m glad it’s the harder compound tire race because I think we’re really strong on those.”

Surprise outcome of the session was that Kyle Kirkwood failed join Herta on the front row. The Andretti teammates had wheeled the dominant cars during practice after finishing 1-2 in last year’s race. But the rear end of Kirkwood’s No. 27 Silver Gold Bull Honda slipped out from under him on his final qualifying lap, and he quickly aborted with the hope of starting another circuit.  However, Kirkwood ran out of time and settled for numbers of 1:04.5308-seconds/99.636 mph.

“We just gave away a pole, without a doubt,” a disappointed Kirkwood said. “I started the lap and the first time all weekend, I got a huge snap. (The car) has been understeering and the one time I go through (Turn 2) when it matters for pole it bottoms (out) and I have the huge snap. It’s unfortunate.

“It feels like I’m throwing away poles left and right on street-courses.”

Kirkwood, who has emerged as the series’ street-race ace this season, was in a similar mood in Detroit after qualifying third. He recovered nicely to win that race, the second of the 26-year-old native Floridian’s street circuit victories this season. Kirkwood also won the famed Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in April.

Series leader Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing qualified second in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda at 1:00.1078-seconds/106.968 mph in an ever-improving race car.

“Like from (Friday) to practice to this morning we changed a lot more stuff, just trying to find a bit more confidence in the car, a little bit more grip,” Palou said. “It’s not super-hard to get a fast car for one lap. But I think to be comfortable and to be able to be consistent, especially like from Turn 8 to Turn 11, over those bumps, it’s important.

“Yeah, we made huge changes. I think they were a lot better. After practice, we made some changes as well. I mean, that’s why we have engineers, just so they can try to make the car better.”

The three-time/reigning series champion and winner of seven races this season has fashioned a massive 129-point lead over his peers with five races remaining in a bid for his third consecutive Astor Cup and fourth in five years.

“I think it’s going to be interesting on strategy, if somebody can make it on one stop less or they can make the tires last a bit longer than anyone else,” Palou said. “I think it’s going to be more of a tire race than a fuel race. Obviously, fuel always comes into play. I think the biggest difference will be the tires.

“Yeah, I mean, the alternates are a bit faster. Well, we will see, but I think it’s going to be tough to make them last for a full-stint. They are faster and you feel like a super-hero for those five to maybe 10 laps. They kind of like give up. I think for (the race), obviously, it’s going to be tough. I think on primaries, they last for a full-stint. It’s about 30, 35 laps. The only issue is that the last 10 or the last eight, they are not easy.”

A 28-year-old native of Spain, Palou finished fourth in this event last year. The Streets of Toronto remain one of the few circuits on which Palou has not won a race. “Yeah, I mean, it would be very sweet,” Palou said. “Never won here; we’ve been close. If we can pull another win this season, with the amazing season we had so far, would be very, very sweet.”

Completing the top-six qualifiers were native New Zealander Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian); native Australian Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal (No. 15 United Rentals Honda) and Kirkwood.

Pato O’Ward will start 10^th after posting a best lap of 1:00.9795-seconds/105.439 mph in Round 2 of the session in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

“I was hoping for a little bit more today,” said O’Ward, a 26-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas. “I’m happy with my car on the Firestone primary tires, so I think we’ll have a strong race car. The performance of the alternate tires was a bit of a surprise and inconsistent, like they’ve been all year. It’s a long race and lots can happen, so let’s see how it plays-out.”

David Malukas led the two-car effort from Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing, qualifying 16^th in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet after a lap of 1:00.2941-seconds/106.637 mph. Meanwhile, teammate and Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci was mired in 23rd among the 27-car field after a best lap of 1:00.7058-seconds/105.914 mph in the No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet.

Palou’s teammate, six-time series champion Scott Dixon of New Zealand (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda), leads active drivers with four victories at Exhibition Place. Power has posted three race wins in Toronto while teammate Josef Newgarden (No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet) has two.

Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard of Denmark (2023) and Herta (2024) are the other previous Toronto race-winners in today’s field. The winner at Exhibition Place has started from pole each of the past two years and three times in the past four years.

Today’s event is the fourth/final street-course race of the season. Remaining events on the schedule will be contested on the road-courses at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Northern California and Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, followed by oval events at The Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis., and Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn.

NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 515; 2, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 386; 3, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 342; 4, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 335; 5, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 300; 6, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 298; 7, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 267; 8, Will Power, Team Penske, 244; 9, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 244; 10, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 237;

11, David Malukas, A.J. Foyt Racing, 237; 12, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 234; 13, Rinus VeeKay, Dale Coyne Racing, 211; 14, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 207; 15, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 207; 16, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 194; 17, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 191; 18, Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 184; 19, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 169; 20, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 164;

21, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 156; 22, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 150; 23, Robert Shwartzman, PREMA Racing, 145; 24, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 120; 25, Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 115; 26, Callum Ilott, PREMA Racing, 111; 27, Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing, 88; 28, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 36; 29, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing, 20; 30, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 16;

31, Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, 12; 32, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, 10; 33, Kyle Larson, Arrow McLaren with Henrick Motorsports, 6; 34, Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb-Agajanian, 5.

FOX SPORTS’ 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST COVERAGE SCHEDULE

Sunday, March 2 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, March 23 _The Thermal Club, Thermal, Calif.  (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, April 13 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif. (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, May 4 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, May 10 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, May 25 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, June 1 _ Streets of Detroit (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, June 15 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill. (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, June 22 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, July 6 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington (Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, July 12 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 1 (Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren)

Sunday, July 13 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 2 (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, July 20 _ Streets of Toronto, Canada (FOX, noon)

Sunday, July 27 _ WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (FOX, 3 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 10 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (FOX, 3 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 24 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (FOX, 2 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 31 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn. (2:30 p.m.)

NOTE _ All times Eastern. Dates and times subject to change.